| 2008 Atlantic Championship season | |
|---|---|
| Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda | |
| Season | |
| Races | 11 |
| Start date | April 20th |
| End date | October 3rd |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion | |
| Chronology | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 2007 | 2009 |
The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-fifth Atlantic Championship season. It began on April 20, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. Despite the merger of Champ Car's premier series with the Indy Racing League, the Champ Car owners continued to own and operate the Atlantic Championship under a new legal entity, Atlantic Racing Series, LLC.[1] Champ Car continued to sanction the first two events of the season at Long Beach and Laguna Seca with the remainder of the season running under IMSA sanction.[2] The Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Drivers' Champion was Markus Niemelä driving for Brooks Associates Racing.
The original 12-race 2008 Atlantic Championship calendar, which featured many supporting runs during Champ Car World Series events, had to be scrapped as a result of the 2008 open-wheel reunification announcement. The Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Edmonton, Mont-Tremblant and Road America races, which had been part of the Champ Car schedule before reunification, remained in the calendar. The Road America races were changed, as the American Le Mans Series' Generac 500 weekend meet was changed from one to two races (a Saturday and Sunday race). The Edmonton race, now part of the IndyCar Series, also switched to a two-race format. The original races at Trois-Rivieres and Miller were not affected, since the Quebec race was part of the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres (which also features the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), and the Utah race was conducted as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series Sunchaser 1000 weekend.[3] On April 3 a revised post-reunification schedule was released featuring 11 races including the seven weekends that were kept (with two races at Edmonton and Road America), and two new races, one at New Jersey and a second Road Atlanta (as a support race to the Petit Le Mans).
The 2008 series was televised at 5 PM ET on Sundays starting on November 9, 2008 on Speed TV.[7]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2008 Atlantic Championship season. All teams used the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3 liter inline-4 engine and Cooper tires.[8]
| Team | No | Drivers | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Did not appear at Road Atlanta | |||
| 22 | Trois-Rivières and New Jersey only | |||
Racing |
3 | Indeck | ||
| 7 | Axtel/Madisa Cat/Tecate | |||
| Injury replacement for Road America, Trois-Rivières, New Jersey, Miller |
||||
| 5 | Sunseeker | |||
| 15 | Sunseeker | |||
| 25 | Uni-Select/Deans Knight/Wasteco | |||
| 6 | Shell/HTP/Muermans Group/Red White & Bluezz | |||
| 9 | Hugenholtz Property Group/Jumbo Supermarkten/Muermans Group | |||
| 11 | Banco BMG | |||
| 77 | Bare Elegance/Valley Ball Cabaret | Long Beach Only | ||
Racing |
8 | Mr. Jones Bar & Kitchen | ||
| 88 | Wirsol/Sueba USA | First 3 Rounds | ||
| ClickAway Computers & Networking | ||||
Motorsports |
14 | King Taco | Did not appear at Road Atlanta (injury) | |
| 41 | Hard Rock Cafe | |||
| 17 | Deans Ultra Plug | Long Beach Only | ||
| Road America Only | ||||
| Road Atlanta Only | ||||
| 19 | MAZDASPEED/Finlay Motorsports/Lynx Racing | |||
| 26 | RLM Investments/Discount Tire Centers/Stone Brewing | |||
| 32 | Konica Minolta/Earthwater/Dynacor Media | Long Beach Only | ||
| 34 | Nuclear Clean Air Energy | |||
| 36 | Nuclear Clean Air Energy | |||
| 45 | Long Beach Only | |||
| X8ment4u.com | Laguna Seca & Edmonton Only | |||
| 46 | Constructora Iriaca | Did not appear at New Jersey or Miller | ||
| 70 | Metro Directories of Georgia | Did not appear at New Jersey, Miller & Road Atlanta |
||
| 66 | Zober Industries | New Jersey Only |
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 2 | 34 | Newman Wachs Racing | 38 | 50:51.261 | 15 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 17 | Genoa Racing | 38 | +1.285 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 5 | 25 | Walker Racing | 38 | +2.256 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 38 | +2.983 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 38 | +4.605 | 23 | ||
| Race average speed: | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 1 for 2 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
|
| 1 | 1 | 3 | Forsythe/Pettit Racing | 34 | 50:50.352 | 28 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 34 | +2.391 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 6 | Condor Motorsports | 34 | +6.671 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 34 | +13.027 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 11 | 9 | Condor Motorsports | 34 | +18.404 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 89.803 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 2 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 9 laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 1 | 6 | Condor Motorsports | 30 | 53:50.600 | 30 | ||
| 2 | 3 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 30 | +0.487* | 0 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 30 | +0.966 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 30 | +1.514 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 8 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 30 | +2.057 | 0 | ||
| * Race finished under caution | ||||||||
| Race average speed: 87.621 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 0 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 3 for 10 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 2 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 38 | 45:18.942 | 8 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 38 | +0.691 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 3 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 38 | +1.151 | 30 | ||
| 4 | 4 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 38 | +1.757 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 38 | +2.170 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 99.269 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 1 for 3 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 3 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 18 | 45:08.751 | 36 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 18 | +2.222 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 3 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 18 | +6.039 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 18 | +6.719 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 18 | +7.195 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 94.398 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 0 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 1 for 5 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 2 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 18 | 45:02.334 | 17 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 18 | +0.411 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 8 | 17 | Genoa Racing | 18 | +0.978 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 9 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 18 | +6.384 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 3 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 18 | +7.230 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 97.068 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 6 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 9 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 20 | 46:39.544 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 20 | +1.084 | 18 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 17 | Genoa Racing | 20 | +6.202 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 10 | 25 | Walker Racing | 20 | +6.832 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 4 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 20 | +8.993 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 104.108 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 5 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 1 | 26 | Mathiasen Motorsports | 44 | 50:17.453 | 44 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 44 | +1.590 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 8 | 6 | Condor Motorsports | 44 | +5.682 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 11 | 34 | Newman Wachs Racing | 44 | +7.878 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 4 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 44 | +10.015 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 79.844 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 0 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 9 Laps | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 1 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 42 | 50:49.282 | 42 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 42 | +2.464 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 42 | +10.441 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 25 | Walker Racing | 42 | +22.772 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Condor Motorsports | 42 | +23.914 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 107.948 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 0 | ||||||||
| Cautions: None | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 1 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 20 | 50:40.529 | 20 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 36 | Newman Wachs Racing | 20 | +0.446 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 19 | Genoa Racing | 20 | +2.296 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 14 | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 20 | +2.828 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 4 | 34 | Newman Wachs Racing | 20 | +22.363 | 0 | ||
| Race average speed: 106.229 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 0 | ||||||||
| Cautions: None | ||||||||
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps led | |
| 1 | 3 | 8 | Brooks Associates Racing | 35 | 50:19.931 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 25 | Walker Racing | 35 | +0.730* | 0 | ||
| 3 | 7 | 3 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 35 | +1.311 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 11 | 34 | Newman Wachs Racing | 35 | +1.807 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 8 | 5 | Walker Racing | 35 | +4.174 | 0 | ||
| * Race finished under caution | ||||||||
| Race average speed: 105.976 mph | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 | ||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 7 Laps | ||||||||
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 31 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Bonus Points
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| Preceded by 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season |
2008 Atlantic Championship season | Succeeded by 2009 Atlantic Championship season |
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